CIRCULÉIRE 2020 Innovation Fund Awards Announced!

A key feature of CIRCULÉIRE is our €1.5m ring-fenced innovation fund (2020-2022) which seeks to support industry-led circular economy innovation demonstration projects which will accelerate the transition towards a circular economy in Ireland.  

Following international peer review, we are delighted to announce the circular innovation demonstration projects which have been awarded funding in CIRCULÉIRE’s 2020 Call for Proposals are both led by Founding Member WEEE Ireland.  

Below Elizabeth O’Reilly, Compliance & Membership Manager, WEEE Ireland describes the innovation demonstrations that have been awarded funding:  

“WEEE Ireland are very excited to be kicking off two circular economy innovation demonstration projects in collaboration with the White Goods Association, Fast-Track into IT (FIT), KMK Metals Recycling and Wisetek, funded by the CIRCULÉIRE 2020 Innovation Fund in 2021.

These innovation demonstrators will help the transformation of our successful recycling scheme to a more circular one, supporting our 1100+ Irish electrical and battery industry Members on their own circular economy journeys. These innovation projects are in completely different areas – the first one supports the White Goods Sector to develop training programmes and engage more repair engineers in life extension of appliances and therefore waste prevention with a circular economy and e-waste management ethos. The second tackles the challenge posed by waste long life lithium batteries (LLLB), such as those used in electric vehicles in Ireland, and will explore opportunities to manage these in a more circular and sustainable way, including repurposing and reuse of LLLBs in other industrial settings. 

We have just finished our first year of membership of the CIRCULÉIRE platform and as Founding Industry Members we have found it an invaluable resource us as we face the positive challenges ahead for our Scheme and the electrical and battery industry under new Circular Economy, Green Deal and Sustainability developments in Ireland.  We look forward to what 2021 will bring and continuing to collaborate with other industry members in this innovative cross-sectoral network”

Congratulations to WEEE Ireland, White Goods Association, Fast-Track into IT (FIT), KMK Metals Recycling and Wisetek and CIRCULÉIRE look forward to opening the 2021 call for innovation projects in the new year!